One Life to Live
by penname99
Summary: A member of the team is seriously injured, can they work together to find out what happened before it's too late? What I think should have happened during Enemies Domestic. Spoilers for Enemies Foreign and Enemies Domestic, slight Tiva.
1. Chapter 1

"Get a grip. Hold yourself together," she mentally berated herself as she and Tony followed Malachi and Leot to the synagogue. Her father had left her to die in the desert at the hands of a terrorist; she couldn't trust him, or Mossad anymore. But as much as she tried to deny it, she cared about her father and she couldn't help but hope for his safety and innocence in this rather unsavory situation. She had to find him, she wouldn't leave him like he left her, she refused to stoop to that level. But something wasn't right; Leot had lied to her about her father's whereabouts, but why? "I guess I'm about to find out what exactly is going on in this game" Ziva decided as they pulled up to the front doors.

"Tony, I need to do this alone" Ziva said quietly.

"Ziva, as much as I don't feel like arguing with your right now, I kind of have too. You have no idea what you are going into, your father could be held hostage in there for all we know. I can't let you go in there by yourself" he replied.

Slightly annoyed Ziva answered, "I won't be alone, Malachi and Leot are already inside. Something is going on and I need to figure it out Tony. I need you to be ready on the outside if something does go wrong."

He knew there was no point in arguing with her, she had that obstinate "I'm not in the mood for this" look on her face.

"Fine" he said as he reluctantly backed down. "But the first sign of trouble, and I'm coming in."

"Fair enough" Ziva said as she exited the car.

Ziva quietly opened the doors and watched as Leot searched the sanctuary. She didn't notice Malachi at first but upon a second survey of the room, she saw him slumped against the back wall with a bullet lodged in his forehead. "What is going on?" Ziva thought to herself. She was shocked and confused when suddenly the pieces all fell together. Leot didn't trust her because she was not really trying to save Eli, she was trying to kill him. She used her status as a Mossad operative to get close enough to Eli to eliminate him. It was because of her that the safe house had been compromised; she had killed Hadar and had attempted to kill Vance and Eli. With this realization firmly grasped, Ziva readied herself for a possibly, well most likely, violent confrontation. She would have one chance to stop Leot before she got to her father.


	2. Chapter 2

"Why did you not trust me?" Ziva asked in a calm voice, stepping out from the shadowed doorway.

"I trust no one, least of all someone like you." Leot replied

"And why is that, what have I ever done to you?" Ziva countered coldly.

"It is not what you have done, it is what your father has done. He is by far the vilest man to ever exist, but then again, how much better could you possibly be? You are his daughter after all. Who knows the terrible things you have done and for what? Mossad? Isreal? Perhaps even your father."

Ziva's eyes flared in violent indignation, her face hardened, and her posture became more hostile.

Noticing the change in Ziva, Leot baited her, "Oh I see I have struck a nerve. Look daddy's little girl, a trained killer murdering in his name. Now doesn't that paint a wonderful family portrait?

Enraged, Ziva lunged at Leot but Leot was fast. She dodged the attack and retaliated with one of her own, hitting Ziva in the abdomen. Ziva matched her blow and dealt one of her own, knocking Leot to the ground ripping open her jacket in the process. What Ziva saw underneath horrified her, Leot was wearing a bomb and before the shocked Ziva could react Leot had stood up.

"Leot, why are you doing this?" Ziva asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't have to justify myself to you, you are nothing and soon both you and your father will be gone forever." Leot said with a sneer.

Ziva, realizing that Leot was serious, began to back away from her when suddenly Eli David appeared through a door an alcove to her immediate right.

"What is going on here?" he enquired with a definite edge to his voice.

"I can tell you exactly what is going on, it is time for both of you to die." Leot laughed as she pulled the bomb's trigger out of her pocket.

"No!" Ziva screamed as she ran to protect her father.

She managed to push him back into the alcove just as Leot detonated the bomb, saving his life. Ziva covered her face as she felt the brunt of the shockwave and the shrapnel tear into her skin. She fell to the ground as the pews in the synagogue were ripped from the ground and shredded into splinters. Sprinklers and fire alarms began going off as Ziva closed her eyes. The pain was unbearable, she couldn't stay awake and she drifted off into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

"What the hell is going on in there?" Tony thought to himself, as he looked down at his watch for the fifteenth time in the last thirty minutes. This should have been a simple search and recover mission but he had this feeling in the pit of his stomach, that something was wrong. Nothing was ever that easy when Eli David and his pet agents were involved. He shouldn't have let Ziva go in there alone but he knew that she could handle herself. Everything was going to be fine, she was going to walk out of the doors any minute with her father, Malachi, and Leot in tow. Satisfied with his conclusions, he reached to turn on the radio. Suddenly he heard Ziva's muffled scream and watched in horror as the windows of the building blew out, raining glass and debris over the car. He immediately jumped out of the vehicle, called 911, and ran into the burnt out synagogue. He scanned the room frantically searching for some sign of Ziva in the smoldering wreckage of the sanctuary. With no sign of her he pulled out his cell phone and hit #2 on his speed dial, desperately hoping that her cell phone was still functioning. Less than 10 seconds later he heard a ringing from across the room. He ran toward the noise, yelling her name. When he found her, he removed the rubble from her crumpled body and cradled her head in his arms.

"Thank God" he thought to himself, she looked like hell, but she was still alive. Now if only she could stay that way.

The ringing in her ears was piercing, her head was swimming, and she couldn't even feel her body much less try to move. She could hear a familiar voice coming through the distance calling her name.

"Ziva! Oh God no!" Tony exclaimed as he reached her side.

"Hold on Ziva, I'm here. You're going to be fine just stay with me." He reassured her as she slipped in and out of consciousness.

"Tony" she whispered "my father."

"He's alive Ziva, they're taking him to the hospital too. Just stay awake, look at me!" he begged her but she couldn't, it hurt too much.

"Ziva, don't you leave me!" he pleaded with her as she slipped back into the blissful feelingless blackness.

He held her and prayed that she would make it, she had too, he needed her to be his partner. Maybe he needed her to be something more too, but he couldn't think about that now, he couldn't handle the idea of losing her in any way. He could hear the sirens right outside the building and shortly the paramedics were pulling him away. He couldn't believe this was happening and there was nothing he could do but sit idly by and watch as they moved her onto the backboard and inserted the IV into her arm. Someone shaking his arm abruptly awakened him from his dazed state.

"Sir, will you be riding with her to the hospital?" the paramedic asked Tony. He nodded, barely comprehending the question. He followed the EMT's out to the ambulance as they wheeled Ziva out of the synagogue.


	4. Chapter 4

Being in the waiting room of the ER was awful. At least when he was in the ambulance he could see her, he knew for a fact that she was still alive. But as soon as they had wheeled her through those doors labeled "hospital personnel only" he hadn't seen or heard anything of her. All he could do was hope that she would make it through this, she had to live.

"Tony, what the hell happened?" Gibbs asked in that no nonsense way of his.

The last thing Tony wanted to do was explain to anyone, least of all his boss, what had happened because fortunately for the bastard responsible for all of this, he really had no idea.

"Well Boss, we tracked Eli to the synagogue despite some wily efforts by our friendly neighborhood Mossad officers to shake us, one of whom is probably in autopsy by now and the other is no where to be found. When we got there Ziva told me that she needed to go in alone. I argued with her but there were no immediate signs of danger and there was something in her eyes boss, I had to agree. I told her I would wait outside but if there was any sign of trouble that I was coming in. So she went in and I waited in the car, I started getting antsy after about 30 minutes and that is when it happened. The bomb went off. I think you can figure out the rest from there."

"OK, Tony" Gibbs said.

"What do you mean OK, Boss?" Tony asked angrily, "I never should have let her go in there alone, this should never have happened and I let it. This is all my fault"

"This is not your fault Tony, you didn't do anything wrong. Now stop feeling sorry for yourself." Gibbs replied matter of factly and giving him a much needed slap to the back of the head.

"Thanks Boss" Tony said, "I needed that."

"No problem, now you stay here and wait for Ziva to get out of surgery. Keep me updated, I need to know what the doctors say." Gibbs ordered.

"Of course Boss" Tony replied his eyes regaining that glazed look. He just couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen.

" Tony, snap out of it. She's a fighter, she'll be fine." Gibbs reassured him with a soft touch on his shoulder. But something in Gibbs voice gave away that maybe he didn't even believe what he said.

Gibbs slowly turned and walked toward the elevator in the hospital.

* * *

"Damn it" Gibbs thought to himself. Having Director Vance in the hospital was enough to put him on edge but now one of his best agents and her father were following suit. He should have known something like this would have happened. Every time Eli David entered the picture, bad things always followed. He couldn't stop wondering what had happened inside that synagogue. Who had detonated the bomb? What was the point of all this destruction? Who was going to pay for all this? Gibbs couldn't rest until he had the answers to all these questions so he headed back to NCIS to work with what remained of his team to try and figure this mess out. It was all he could do right now to help Ziva and the Director.


	5. Chapter 5

Abby sat in her lab, hurt and confused. Why did this have to keep happening? She thought she had lost Ziva once and the possibility of losing her again was almost too much to bear. Ziva was like a sister to Abby, she needed her to be there and Abby liked to think that Ziva needed her too, even if she would never admit it.

Mcgee walked into Abby's lab bearing samples from Ducky, when he saw Abby blankly staring into space, tears welling up in her eyes he immediately tried to comfort her.

"Abby, you ok?" he asked.

"No Mcgee, I'm not ok. My best friend is in the hospital and she might die. Why does this keep happening? First Kate and now Ziva….I can't take it again Mcgee, it hurts too much." she whispered quietly as she began to sob.

"Abby come on, I know it's hard but Ziva's not gone yet. She's a fighter, you know that, she's going to pull through this just like she always does." Mcgee said, trying to sound confident.

"I wish there was something I could to help her Mcgee." Abby replied.

"There is Abby, you can help us find out who did this to her. I brought up some samples from Ducky that need to be analyzed. This is the best thing we can do right now is this, crying over it won't help anyone."

"You're right Mcgee, let's find the dirt bag that did this to our friend."

* * *

Gibbs sat at his desk wondering what he was going to do now. Ducky was finishing up the autopsy on Malachi, cause of death had been a gunshot wound to the head. Abby was busy processing samples from the crime scene and Mcgee was trying to track down Leot. What Gibbs really needed to do was talk to Eli David and see if he could cast some light on the rather dark situation before him. But the director had been released from the hospital and headed straight for the Israeli Embassy. He refused to talk to NCIS and there was nothing they could do about it. Suddenly his cell phone started to ring, it was Tony hopefully with good news about Ziva.

"Gibbs" he said as he answered his phone.

"Hey Boss, she's out of surgery and they're putting her in a room in the ICU. The doctors said she had severe head trauma, they were able to relieve swelling and pressure on her brain but she's fallen into a coma. She also had massive internal bleeding as well as shrapnel wounds. They don't know when or if she's going to wake up. Her chances of making it through the night are slim, Boss. You better get down here as soon as you can."

"On my way Tony" he said and hung up his phone. Gibbs headed for the elevator, mind buzzing. He should tell Mcgee, Abby, and Ducky but he needed to see her first.


	6. Chapter 6

Tony sat in the small chair beside her bed. She looked so helpless attached to all of these tubes and wires. He watched he face and listened to the steady blip of the heart monitor. He didn't even realize he was holding her hand as he started to speak to her "Wake up Ziva. You've got to pull through this. I know you're life has been hard and that it might seem easier to just never wake up. I wouldn't want to have to face your life alone after what you've been through, but you're not alone and you never have been. I'm here for you and I always will be. If you would just open up and talk to me I could help you, I know I could, you just have to let me. I don't know what we could be, I'm willing to find out, but you have to wake up first. Please wake up."

He watched her face but there was no response, just the ever-present movement of her eyes beneath her their lids. She looked like she was dreaming; he hoped for her sake that they were good dreams but somehow he knew that they weren't...

* * *

_Everything she had ever done played over and over again in her mind. She saw every assassination and every thing she had done with Mossad. She saw the face of every man and woman she had killed. She couldn't help but wonder, did they all deserve it? She always followed my orders; she killed who they told her to when they told herto without giving it a second thought. Maybe Leot was right, she liked to think she was serving her country but in reality all she was doing was obeying her father. And despite all of this, he had left her in the desert to die. Did she mean nothing to him? He had turned her into a killer and then used her to meet his needs. She wasn't just an assassin she was a murderer. Why had he turned her into this, she was his child. How could he do that to her? She was trapped in her mind, constantly reliving the nightmare that had been her life, blaming herself for the actions of her father._

_

* * *

  
_

"Excuse me sir" the nurse said tentatively as she opened the door "she has another visitor and we only allow one in the room at a time in ICU."

"Alright" he said as he stood from the chair. "Don't worry Ziva" he said, "I'll be back."

Tony walked into the hallway to find Gibbs leaning against the wall.

"How you doing Tony, you look like hell?" Gibbs asked, looking concerned.

"Well, I've been better Boss." Tony answered.

"Why don't you go home and get some rest. I'll sit with her for awhile" Gibbs offered.

" I can't leave her Boss, she's my partner." Tony said defiantly

"I'm sure she'll understand Tony, I promise I'll call you if she wakes up. She would want you to get some rest."

"Well, I guess I could use a shower." Tony finally said.

"Good, like I said, you'll be the first to know when she wakes up" Gibbs replied.

"Thanks Boss, I'll see you later." Tony said as he walked away.


	7. Chapter 7

Gibbs entered the room, shocked by the sight of one of his best agents lying helpless. He slowly walked to the chair next to her bed, instinctively being quiet so as not to wake her even though waking her up was exactly what he wanted to do.

"Ziva" he whispered quietly as he gently took her hand "we need you to wake up"

"This team can't handle losing you again. I can't handle losing you again, you're like a daughter to me." Gibbs said somberly.

"No one can tell us what happened in that synagogue except you. You're father won't talk and everyone else is dead. Tell us who did this to you." There was no reply; he was silly to have even hoped his words would awaken her. So he sat back and watched her eyes dart back and forth beneath their lids, hoping she wasn't but knowing from experience, that she was probably reliving the worst moments of her life…..

_Ziva was a child again sitting huddled in the corner of her room next to her little sister. They were listening to her mother and father argue, Tally was crying. _

"_How can you do this to them, to us?" Her mother screamed._

"_This is my life, this is how the world operates. I want them to be prepared for that!" Eli retorted._

"_They are just children, they do not have to know the cruel violence of the world!" She snarled at him as she slammed the door of their bedroom in his face. "Why do they always have to fight?" Ziva asked herself._

_Suddenly her father came into the room and dragged her and Tally into the back yard. "Your mother doesn't understand girls, but life is hard and you are Davids you are meant to do my kind of work. And now it's time for you to learn." he told them all of this as blind folded them and put them in the back seat of the car. When they reached their destination Ziva and Tally had no idea where they were and they were scared. Their father roughly pulled them from the car and led them into a forest._

"_Ziva, Tally do not remove your blind folds until you are sure I am gone, then you must find your way home." Eli said to his frightened children as he began to walk away._

"_Abba, don't leave us here! Please, please you cannot just leave us here" Ziva pleaded with her father._

"_Shut up girl!" he said as he angrily slapped her in the face. "You will do as I say!"_

_Ziva crumpled to the ground, tears streaming from her face. When they finally removed their blind-folds there was no sign of their father._

"_Ziva what are we going to do?" Tally sobbed._

"_We are going to find our way back home, what else can we do?" Ziva replied as she hugged her sister and they headed into the forest to try and make their way back. "How could he do this to us, to me?" Ziva thought to herself._

The next two days passed in much the same way. Gibbs and Tony alternating nights at the hospital while the team worked hard to uncover what happened in the synagogue, and Ziva, never waking from the coma.


	8. Chapter 8

Tony wasn't sure if she was ever going to wake up now. He'd been able to convince himself that she would be fine during the first week of her coma, but know he wasn't so sure. It had been two weeks now and there had been no change in her vitals. She was stuck in her mind with no way out. Tony had said everything he could think of to wake her up. He had told her how much he liked her and how he might even love her. He didn't know what else to do. It was like she was waiting for something, something he couldn't tell her or give her. If only he knew what that was, if only he could wake her up.

"Ziva, we need you." Tony pleaded with her as he sat next to her bedside. "We need you know more than ever. "

"Mr. Dinozzo, how are you today?" asked Eli David in a nonchalant voice.

"I've been better Eli" Tony said with a scowl on his face "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see my daughter and I would like some privacy if that's not too much to ask." He replied calmly.

Tony was unsure at first but he eventually left the room, but before he did he whispered in Ziva's ear "I'll be right outside if you need me." He squeezed her hand and walked out of the room.

"He's a good man, I am happy for you Ziva." Eli said. "I wish I could have told you sooner, there are a lot of things I wish I could change about our relationship and our past but I'm afraid it's too late now." Eli asked as a tear ran down his face. He had not shed a tear since the death of his son Ari, nearly four years ago. He couldn't believe he was on the brink of losing his last child. " Ziva, I could not bear to out live all of my children. Please stay with me, I need you." As Eli begged his daughter to live he could not hold back his emotions the tears began to flow freely and he didn't care. If there was ever a time to let the walls around his heart down it was now. This was the only chance he had to make things right between him and his daughter. "I'm sorry for everything I've ever done to you, I'm sorry for what I've made you. Can you ever forgive me? I thought I was helping you, I thought I was doing the right thing. But now I understand how wrong I was, how terribly wrong. Please come back to me because I love you Ziva." He couldn't say anymore but he had said enough. Those three words were all she needed to hear. As Eli sat with his head buried in his hands, his daughter slowly began to wake up. Hear heart rate quickened and her eyelids began to flutter and slowly they opened and focused on the broken figure next to her bed.

"Abba," she said as she tentatively reached for his hands "Abba, I forgive you."

"You're awake, thank God. Ziva I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." he told her as nurses rushed into the room. They tried to move him away from her so they could examine her but he wasn't finished yet. "Ziva, I have to go back to Israel. But I promise things will be different now, do you believe me?"

"I believe you father." She replied as she looked into her fathers brimming eyes. She knew that she should say that she loved him but those were words that she had not said to him in years. She didn't know if she could ever say she loved him again. But she knew she had to try, he had come here to see her, she finally knew he cared and that he loved her so the least she could do was say it back. "Father... I love you too" she said in a near whisper as he walked out the door but she said it loud enough, he heard her.


End file.
